Sláinte

American Craft Distilling

System Administrator Monday 26th January 2015 2

Distilling in America can trace its roots back to the 1600s when Europeans landed with a longing to set up farms on newly (ahem) acquired fertile land. Corn and sugar cane were new crops to many of these settlers and it was not long before they began plantations for commercial purposes. Sometimes a bumper harvest would come along and farmers were left with an excess. Some settlers from Scotland, Ireland and Wales brought with them a knowledge of distilling and they quickly adapted their old r...

Trends and drinks to look out for in 2015- Part 2

System Administrator Wednesday 14th January 2015 1

Whisk(e)y Trends in 2015 Ireland Confidence is at an all-time high. With exports booming and investment being carried out at an unprecedented level. But what can we expect as punters? There is no doubt that we will see a lot more brands coming on stream. However, the liquid has to come from somewhere, and there will be some very similar tasting whiskeys out there which have been drawn from existing stocks. The big guns at Midleton, Kilbeggan and Bushmi...

Trends and drinks to look out for in 2015- Part 1

System Administrator Monday 12th January 2015 2

2014 was a slightly worrying year for the big spirits producers. Established and emerging markets saw a decline in sales of traditional standards such as Scotch whiskey and Cognac. Happily we are set to see another record year for Irish whiskey sales but what else are the taste makers predicting to sell in 2015? Tequila and Mezcal- The Ones To Watch in 2015 For many years, tequila carried a reputation by most to be drank in the form of a ‘shot’ or ‘slammer’ in night ...

Christmas Tasting 2014

System Administrator Tuesday 25th November 2014 3

We are very Excited for our Celtic Whiskey Christmas Tasting, taking place at the Palace Bar, Fleet Street, Dublin on Thursday 4th December at 7.30pm. We feel we have put together a really special collection that even Father Christmas himself would be proud of! We Ho-Ho-Hope (Sorry!) to see many of you there to enjoy some seasonal delights! On the Night we will be Tasting the Following Beauties: Celtic Cask Ocht 46% One of three of our latest releases. This excell...

The Irish Whiskey Awards 2014

System Administrator Tuesday 28th October 2014 2

Thursday 23rd October 2014 saw the second holding of the annual Irish Whiskey Awards. Building on the success of the inaugural awards in 2013 the event took place in the Old Kilbeggan Distillery and was expanded to include several new categories such as best 'Irish Liqueur' and best 'Whiskey Barrel Aged Irish Beer'. Guests were welcomed to some excellent new O’Hara’s craftbeers and Kilbeggan Cocktails by the very talented winner of Tales of the Cocktail International Bartender of the Year 20...

Gins Glorious Gins

System Administrator Wednesday 3rd September 2014 3

There was once a time when you had two choices; Cork Dry Gin, or Gordons Dry Gin. If you were lucky you might get served a small slice of lemon and some room temperature tonic to accompany it in your G&T. This is how I remember my first experience of what is one of the world’s greatest mixed drinks. Fortunately it did not put me off. Later when I started working in the drinks trade I was introduced to Bombay Sapphire served with a slice of lime and some slightly better quality tonic. ...